A Day in Rivendell
by time2read
Summary: In which Elrond plots to mend Glorfindel's heart with the help of his twin terrors. Little does he know he may have gotten more than he bargained for. Not Yao.


This is from my story A Truth Now Known. Can be seen as an AU but as it doesn't affect the overall LOTR plot it could be cannon. It's a bit of fluff which can stand on its own featuring your favorite scheming elves. Enjoy and tell me how you liked it.

_There are wounds that never show on the body that are deeper and more hurtful than anything that bleeds." ― Laurell K. Hamilton_

* * *

It was a nice warm day in Rivendell with a cool breeze blowing the Everwhite's in Elrond's garden. Valar! If he could only live in this moment forever. No more wars or pain no more past or a future unknown.

"Glorfindel have you heard me?"

"Aye mellon nin."

"Your mind is distracted." Elrond's rich voice resounded with a hint of an echo in the near empty halls of healing.

"It is my way. Why have you called me? I have heard of her passing."

Blue eyes met his own. "You grieve?" There was little surprise in Elrond's eyes but much confusion.

Glorfindel sighed. "It is hard Elrond, to lose another of the old ways."

Elrond's distracted himself with the view the healing halls provided of the gardens. "You can deny it, but you cannot claim you have never loved now."

"I was fond of her." He snapped losing his temper. It was not Elrond's place to mend his heart. There was not much left of it regardless.

Elrond nodded reading his thoughts effortlessly through centuries of acquaintance. "You are right it is not."

"Then why have you called me here?"

Blue eyes met silver. "Her son lingers. He does not fade."

"Should he?"

Elrond sighed. "I do not know. Many young ones fade if their loved ones are taken from them too early. He had only her. It would be best if he had more…"

"You are suggesting?" He read Elrond's face clearly. "You jest surely!"

Elrond raised his hands in peace. "One day Glorfindel watch him just one day. Then come to me in answer."

Glorfindel sighed. He had not much else planned besides how much harm could it be? "One day Elrond. But if I refuse you, you will recount the full epic of Gil Galad three times should it take you a day or three, in your bard voice with a lyre."

"Agreed." Elrond smiled wryly in satisfaction. Glorfindel's eyes narrowed. "Have you had a vision?"

"You think I would use such underhanded tactics?"

Glorfindel rose from his chair. Eru! What had he gotten himself into? Yes, yes he did think Elrond had done something of the sort.

"You will find him in his chamber with my sons."

Glorfindel left the halls of healing chuckling. The tale of Gil Galad took nine hours at best and he would make sure there would be a reciting regardless of who won the jest. After all Elrond deserved nothing less for his attempts at mending his heart.

His first course of action was to render himself near invisible. That was not hard years of blending in the shadow and light alike did have their benefits. He stood near the chamber listening to the antics of Elrond's twins.

The chamber was near silent. Elrond's sons sat across each other. An elaborate Sila board was spread out on a low table. The both of them hunched over completely absorbed in their game ignoring the elfin child no older than six by elven standards happily diverting himself with the array of flowers strewn all over the bed nearly twice the young ones size obscuring him from view almost completely.

Elrohir flicked another marble of the board lazily. "So," he put in. "Who's the better player Arrai?" Both twins now eyed the child riotous flames in their eyes each convinced that they had been the victor due to the others cheating.

A tiny face emerged from the excess of strewn flowers on the bed hands still busy trying to twist the stems of two roses into a crown. The nose of the concentrated face scrunched up in confusion studying the two delinquents clearly having not heard or most likely ignored their in depth explanation of the game and its majesty and art of subtlety. A mundane drawl to which Glorfindel had been subject to for the past hour.

"Elladan!" The child exclaimed and clapped his hands after an overlong pause and Elladan whisked him off the bed and twirled him around in reward.

"He cheated!" Elrohir grumbled gathering the game. But the tiny elf was more interested in the current pastime then in the brotherly squabble laughing in wicked delight. As Elladan spun him the other way.

"Oi it's my turn now!" The both of Elrond's sons had a brief tug of war with the poor prince until Elladan grudgingly relinquished his grip laughing.

"Elrohir will show you what fun is!" Elrohir tossed the child unceremoniously into the air. The child flipped midair with the grace and agility all elves are blessed with and landed into Elrohir's arms shrieking wildly.

"Again, Again! Saes!"

The child was tossed up again this time less expertly. "That's dangerous." Elladan's face and Glorfindel's own darkened at the near miss of the catch.

Elrohir who seemed to have purposely done that laughed tossing the child again. "Ignore him little one he knows not how to enjoy himself."

Arms crossed Elladan's chest. "I do just not at the expense of others."

At length the child squirmed in Elrohir's arms having grown bored of the game. Elrohir relinquished his hold lowering the child onto the ground.

Not waiting for a recapture by Elladan the elf ran off into the halls followed closely by the twins their eyes glinting in mischief. Glorfindel tracked them silently following them out into the gardens. The child had stopped upon seeing an elleth dismount at the main gate. He squirmed as Elladan held him speaking incoherent phrases too excited to make coherent sense he jumbled elven words together as his tiny hands reached for the elleth's retreating form. From her hair it was not hard to guess it was the Lady Arwen. The little would never have seen her as she had just returned from a decade stay in Lothlórien.

"Hey Elladan! I think he likes Arwen's dress!" The exclamation provided both twins with an ample amount of laughter. The child was then hauled off to his room where Elladan produced several dresses Arwen had worn decades ago when she herself had only been a child. In a matter of minutes the prince was turned into a princess pink dress and hair flowers included. The poor child tugged at the uncomfortably pinned flowers in his short braid, the twins completely oblivious to the discomfort quickly changed him into a deep violet gown after a brief argument. The dress had frills and dainty stitches. One of Arwen's favorite if he recalled.

It was at this particular moment that the lady herself conveniently entered. The child seeing Arwen's face suddenly froze, and began crying, the tears were followed by shrieks and howls. Ai Valar! He must have seen her and thought it had been his Naneth. The likeness in the hair was remarkable that and the child's incomprehension of death caused the young one to bawl.

Elrohir and Elladan looked on in horror as the child tore off the dress clearly having no idea how to handle a crying youngling. Valar, what was Elrond thinking leaving the poor thing to his twins?

Arwen's gave both brothers a seething look and tried to approach the child eyes full of pity. The child only drew back and hugged himself bawling louder. He shifted uncomfortably tears always elicited memories of a time long past. Associated with the sacking and pillaging of Gondolion and other elven battles he tried in vain to forget. But the child's eyes were suddenly on the curtain.

"Ada!" The child shrieked running toward him as the rest of the frills were ripped apart by distressed tiny hands as tears flowed freely down the cherubic face. Having torn of the dress the child attempted at pulling out the pins in his hair wailing Ada once more and then tugging at the royal deep velvet curtains.

Glorfindel stepped from behind the curtains only increasing the twin's horror. Glorofindel felt unbalanced as the child's large blue eyes met his own. Recognition registered in the innocent eyes and the child suddenly pounced on him clinging to Glorfindel's leather grieves like a brittle leaf in the autumn wind. Elven children would usually only attach so strongly to their parents at such a young age but he had visited the Lady Ingwe almost every day. The child must have attached the title to him. The portrait of his real father was somewhat similar to himself and of course the hair was the same shade. He must have thought Ingwe was referring to him when she pointed at the portrait and taught the child to say Ada. Ai Valar!

The child tugged at his tunic with a tiny hand while crying his soul out and throwing accusing glances at Arwen who by now was practically shaking in rage upon discovering how her brothers had passed the time raging at how the little one should not be subject to their stupidity and abuse of person.

Glorfindel sighed lifting the hiccupping child. "Ai ion nin." He rubbed the child's back quieting Arrai as he clung to him. The twins who by now were practically trembling on their feet looked from their enraged sister blocking the door way and too said legendary father by the window whose child had been their object of entertainment unsure who to back up to.

"You and Lady Ingwe?" Elladan whispered shocked only to have Glorfindel narrow his eyes at the upstart whelps. Both then fell to their knees clearly not willing to face his wrath. "Please my lord we did not know! We were just trying to keep him busy like Adar asked!"

"By dressing him up in my clothes?" Arwen raged. "Have you no decency?"

The child suddenly had his attention again tugging at his hair. "Adar." He whispered his solemn blue eyes now boring into his own. Tears dried out the child was now possessively clutching his tunic with one hand and the other tugged at his hair demandingly face pressed firmly against his chest refusing to yield even the slightest ground. Glorfindel sighed. Ai Eru! Better the child be his. Less would question his love for the lost princess of the Vanyar and less would accuse her for seducing or enchanting him then if it were another. It was the least he could do for Oropher. Perhaps this was Ilúvatar's will a small mercy. Returning to him if only a small part of all he had lost. He looked down at the child's wide eyes years older than they should be and kissed his forehead. The contact felt foreign it had been a long time since he had allowed himself to get close to anyone. His eyes then went back to the still kneeling forms. A thought made its way into his mind. "As penance you will assist Lord Elrond in his retelling of the Epic of Gil Galad. Three times."

The horrified expressions were quickly replaced with gratitude both clearly surprised at how easily they had escaped his wrath. Only Arwen who had once needed to perform the epic herself grinned in satisfaction leaving the room to tell her father of the wonderful news.

He whisked out of the room leaving the twins to prepare for their penance. The events of the day seemed too coincidental for it to be anything but underhanded. He looked down at the child, its eyes were shut tight indicating utter exhaustion. When had the poor thing last properly slept? He had never had anyone, and now that the he held the child in his hands he couldn't bear to part from him. Curse it Elrond! Why had he been subject to Elrond's wrath? Valar Ai Valar it hurt to hear the child's even breathing which had gradually deepened to match his own. It was as if something long dead inside him now awoke. He settled on a step leading to the gardens cradling the dreaming elf. A wicked smile graced his lips as he gazed upon the gardens. "Ion nin we shall give Elrond a taste of his own medicine shall we not?"

"That would be most becoming of you." Elrond settled down next to Glorfindel chuckling. Accusing eyes met victorious ones. "You set me up."

Elrond shrugged. "So I did. Though in my vision I saw myself reciting the epic regardless.

"Indeed. You gave me a whole day to accept the child. I needed only half. By a custom long past I believe you have lost the jest." Elrond chuckled. "Yes but at least I shall not suffer alone." Both had a good laugh at that. "I shall take good care of him. As if he were my own." Glorfindel said wistfully with an undertone of sadness as he smoothed back a few loose strands of hair from the child's face. A supportive hand rested on his shoulder as eyes full of love met uncertain ones. "I know you will." The two friends sat staring at the Everwhite's dancing to and fro in the cool breeze. Even if it only for a day, all was well in middle earth.


End file.
